Crystalized Secrets
by CatNinja0122
Summary: The one secret she never wanted anybody to know just tumbled out of her mouth. Kat, now revealed as Katanlia, is stuck between deciding whether she should help get Hart back or simply allow his powers to be used. It's time for her to make a permanent choice: Is she good, or is she evil? Slight, slight OCxAlit.
1. Chapter 1: Drama Drama Drama

**PREVIOUSLY...**

"Where's Hart?"

"T-The Barians have him."

"What?!" Kite took a few steps towards Kat. He forced her to look up at him, then stared right into her emotional cat-green eyes. "Which Barian took him?"

"..."

"Kat. Which Barian stole my little brother?"

Kat looked up at the sky. She blinked, then spoke in an almost silent tone.

"It was Girag. My older brother."

**THE PRESENT...**

Kat stared at Kite's terrified and confused expression. She shifted her gaze to the ground, just allowing the tears to fall. On total accident, the one secret she's never wanted anybody to ever know had been revealed. Tears began to fall again as the rain finally stopped. Kat glanced up as Kite approached her a bit more. Slowly, he put his hands on her shoulders and stared right at her.

"Kat...you're a Barian?" Kite whispered, staring right at her. Kat blinked, then sniffled. She nodded and backed away slowly. Kite couldn't believe it. All this time, the one girl he'd fallen in love with was a Barian, the one creature he found to be the most filthy! Not the kind of thing he'd been hoping for. He watched as Kat stood there, frozen. Nothing happened for a while.

That all changed when Kat was engulfed by a pink light. Kite shielded his eyes, but stared anyway. He gasped when he saw Kat in her true form. Now, in her Barian Form, she had light grey skin, short, smokey-black wings, and the same skirt and boots she'd had on. Her Pikachu backpack was clutched in her hands as she looked down, obviously embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry that I never told you Kite. But I thought you'd react negatively." Kat whispered. She allowed her tears to fall, not caring if Kite saw. Slowly, she straightened herself up, then slung her pack over her shoulder. Kat got in a real Barian stance, then began to talk in a normal tone. "My real name is Katanlia. Remember it well, Kite Tenjo, for there will be a day when you and I will face off to see which of us gains control of your younger brother." Kat-no, Katanlia- turned all the way around and vanished into a portal. Kite wasn't sure what to think.

Was his girlfriend on his side? Her voice had cracked a bit on that last line. Or was that just because of stray tears, and she really was against him? There was no way to tell.

Back on Barian World...

The sudden flash of light and the fact Katanlia had shown up was not what Girag had been expecting. He thought for sure his little sister wouldn't have come.

"What're you doing here Katanlia?"

"I live here too, bro."

"Hmph." Girag turned back around. Katanlia rolled her eyes and walked to his side, then gasped when she saw what he was staring at.

Hart, inside one of the Barian Crystals.

Katanlia was furious. For some reason, she had always been closer to humans rather than her own kind. Seeing her boyfriend's little brother locked away like a caged animal set her off. She took a few steps toward the crystal, then placed her hand to it. Hart just stared at her. Pretty obvious he didn't recognize her now, but that was fine with Katanlia. She turned back to Girag and growled.

"You have him captured. What do you plan on doing with him now?"

"I've told you before sis. Barian World is gonna take the remainder of his powers and use them for our own good."

"I won't let you!" Katanlia jumped in front of the crystal Hart was in. He sat up inside, then watched intently. Why was a Barian protecting him? Hart was so confused.

Neither Girag nor Katanlia seemed to notice Hart attempting to stand up. They were too busy arguing with one another, scratching and clawing each other in a serious sibling argument.

"ENOUGH!"

Katanlia froze, as did Girag. In complete unison, they turned to see Alit. Behind him stood Mizael, and Durbe was right in front of them both. He glared at Katanlia and Girag. This was not the kind of thing he'd been hoping for when he'd heard one of his strongest Barians had returned.

"Katanlia, what do you think you're doing?" Durbe asked walking towards her. Katanlia stiffened, then rolled her eyes.

"I'm doing whatever I want."

"No, you aren't. You are going to help monitor how Hart's powers help, whether you like it or not."

This sent Katanlia off. She crossed her arms and glared, then simply said the one word that would always make her seem stronger than she was. "No."

"Oh really?"

"You can't control me. I don't care what you say or do. You can't control me."

Durbe had had enough. He looked Katanlia in the eyes as his began to glow, then watched as her's did the same thing. Katanlia couldn't move. She struggled against Durbe's grip, then watched as he got in her face. "You wanna try telling me that again?"

"Yes. Yes I do," Katanlia said, shutting her eyes for a moment, then reopening them and tackling Durbe down. The other Barians watched intently as the two went and fell to the ground, where Katanlia began to dig her claws into Durbe. He shoved her off himself and stood a bit, then let out a startled yelp as he was blasted back. When he looked up, he could see why he was thrown back.

There floated Katanlia, and she had fired a Barian Energy Shot at him. She dropped back to the ground, then loomed over him. "Still think I can't do what I want?" she asked in a mocking tone.

"Gah, fine. Do whatever. See if I care." Durbe sat up and vanished. Katanlia laughed and threw her hands up happily. Alit ran over and high-fived her, then raced off with her.

"Those two are insane," Girag said, staring at Mizael. He nodded and stared at where that small scuffle had just occurred. It was hard to believe Katanlia was still that strong after all those years she spent on Earth.

"Hey! Where the hell is Vector at?"

Mizael and Girag turned around to see Durbe there, who crossed his arms and growled. "No seriously, where is he? He's supposed to be doing stuff here."

"I thought he was on Earth." Mizael chimed in. Durbe went wide-eyed.

"Why is he on Earth?"

"He said something about finding more captives and taking their Numbers, if I recall. You know, capturing people and then returning with their Numbers after he does whatever with them."

Durbe let out an irritated sigh. He often wondered how Katanlia was Girag's little sister and not Vector's. They looked so alike, and both behaved however they wanted.

But then again, he could see the resemblance between the two. No way Vector could've been able to knock him down like that. Durbe sighed, then rolled his eyes. Maybe he didn't want Vector to be doing this, but he was interested in how it would play out nonetheless.


	2. Chapter 2: Two Plans Shouldn't Coexist

"Katanlia! Where are you?"

Alit had been calling Katanlia's name and asking where she was for the past half hour now. At some point when they had run off, she'd run into Girag. they got into a fight, then Katanlia ended it by flipping her older brother off and rushing away with Alit. soon after that, she'd gotten sad, and gone silent. When Alit questioned her, something made her angry, so she stormed off. It wasn't like her to go hide, though, so Alit was becoming concerned.

"Katanlia!" Alit tried again. He couldn't believe the girl either wasn't showing herself or she wasn't coming out. Strange behavior, even for her. Alit peeked around one of the corners. Nothing but darkness.

"KATANLIA!"

"Oh geez, shut up. You're gonna give me a damn migraine."

Alit whipped around. There stood Katanlia, staring right at him with her cat-green eyes. She walked towards him, then blinked innocently. Alit raised an eyebrow, then laughed. Somewhere in the middle of the laughter, Katanlia bopped him on the shoulder for fun, then began to laugh as well.

The laughter finally began to die down from between the two. Katanlia sat on the ground, then stared up at her best friend with a dead-serious face. "Seriously though, be a little more quiet. My head hurts."

"Oh sorry." Alit dropped down next to her, then stared right at her. There was hurt and pain in her eyes, and by the looks of it, it wasn't going to get better anytime soon. "What's wrong with you?" he finally managed to ask. Katanlia looked up at him, then sighed.

"It's Hart."

"What about Hart?"

"I don't want them to hurt him. It's not right." Katanlia took her Pikachu backpack from her shoulder and just held onto it. She began to whimper, and not too long after that, she began to cry. Alit put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, not daring to let go. He managed to scramble in front of her, then looked her right in the eyes when she glanced up.

"Listen, I know of a way we can free him. Since you care so much and all."

"Really? How would we do that?"

"Every night, when the others are asleep, you and me can go and scratch at the crystal for a few hours. This'll weaken it, and soon we'll be able to just kick it down and free Hart."

Katanlia looked up at Alit. She was motionless for a second, then finally jumped on him with a screech. "You're a genius! As long as we don't get caught, this'll work like a charm!"

"That's the point you nut." Alit said, gently shoving Katanlia off and sitting back up. They stared at each other for a second before walking over and peering down the steps. The other three Barians were gathered and talking about something that was inaudible from where they sat. Alit and Katanlia glanced at one another for a moment, then shrugged and backed away.

It was time for Operation Rescue Hart to go into phase one.

XxXxXxXx

Vector wandered the streets of Heartland City in his Rei from. He was looking around for any Number Cards that would be lingering around, and was ready to jump any holders. A smirk crossed his face as he found one. Walking towards it, he went wide-eyed when he found out who it was.

Yuma Tsukumo.

"Ah. This should be amusing." Vector snuck up behind Yuma. The boy didn't even realize he had a follower right behind him. Gradually, he advanced a little more quickly. Soon, he leaped onto Yuma, who let out a defiant screech.

"Get off me! Get off me!"

"Nah, no thanks Yuma-kun."

Yuma froze suddenly. No, it couldn't have been who he thought it was. But when he took a closer look, Yuma discovered his fear was confirmed. Vector was back.

"On crap."

XxXxXxXx

Katanlia sat up slowly, then shook the sleeping Alit beside her. He groaned, then sat up as well.

"What time is it?"

"Time to put phase one into action."

"Alright." Alit stood with Katanlia, and both began running down the crystal stairs that led to the little room they had slept in. They looked around, making sure no one was in the same area at least, and proceeded on. Alit peeked into the room where Hart was being held captive. No one but Hart was in there. They were in the clear.

"C'mon!" Katanlia hissed, then walked in slowly. Alit follwed, then watched as Hart began to wake up. Apparently, he'd decided to sleep as well. Slowly, Katanlia proceeded to the crystal. She cautiously put a hand to it, then began to scratch at it. Hart watched intently, then nearly screamed when he was fully awake. Katanlia motioned with her hand for him to shush, but it had little effect.

Alit tried now. Hart froze. That did it this time. Katanlia sighed, then continued to scratch away at the crystal. Tiny little fragments chipped off and flew into different directions. She looked up at Hart, who had a very petrified look on his face. Katanlia softened her gaze, helping him to calm down a bit, and just stared up at him.

"It's okay Hart. We're not going to hurt you."

"You're not? But...but you're Barians."

"You really don't recognize me? Guess I'll have to show you then." Katanlia nodded and changed to her human form, where she got a startled gasp from Hart. With a smile, she continued to scratch at the crystal. It was weakling much quicker than they thought it would.

Footsteps were heard not too long after that. Katanlia jolted up and turned to Alit, a worried look on her Kat face. Alit shrugged and motioned with his hand. They would have to finish this later. Katanlia turned to Hart. "We'll get you out of there. I promise."

And with a flash, they were gone. Hart smiled, then turned towards Vector, who had finally returned. The blue-haired gasped when he saw who and what Vector had with him.

Numbers 17 and 39, and Yuma.


	3. Chapter 3: Captured, Freed, Busted

Hart couldn't believe it. Vector had captured Yuma! The blue-haired watched intently as Vector dragged his unconscious victim behind him. The other Barians must've heard the scuffling, for they came running in to see just what it was. But like Hart, they couldn't believe it either.

"You...actually came back with...a captive?" Durbe asked, staring right at Vector. He nodded, dropped Yuma, and held up the two Number Cards he'd been able to steal from him. "I didn't just bring one captive. I brought two."

"What are you talking about?" Mizael asked, staring right at Vector. He shrugged and pointed to Yuma with a clawed finger. "Don't tell me I'm the only one that remembered."

"Remembered what?"

"Oh you know what."

"...Oh that's right. The Astral being."

"Bingo." Vector let out a laugh, then walked away. Durbe stared in shock for a moment, then turned back to Mizael and Girag.

"So, what do we do with Yuma?" Girag asked. He only gained a shrug from Durbe, however.

"I'm not really sure. Hell, I'm not sure what to do with Astral either. We could just rob him of the Astral powers he has, turn them to Barian powers and put them to good use."

"We still need a captive method though."

"That's true. I suppose a crystal would be a good choice."

Hart drowned out the rest of the conversation. He didn't wish to hear anymore of it. All he really wanted was to know if he and Yuma would be okay.

_Kat gave me her word_, Hart thought, sitting down inside the crystal. _She never breaks_ _her promises. I should know_. He rolled over after laying down, then sighed. Shortly after that, he began to nod off, and finally just fell asleep.

He just hoped he could actually rely on Kat to free him.

XxXxXxXx

Katanlia woke up with a start. She stared around. Nothing was out of the ordinary in her and Alit's room. Something felt wrong though. Like part of the universe was missing or something. Katanlia turned to look at Alit. He was still locked in a deep sleep. Better not wake him up again, she thought, standing up and exploring the room. Not a thing popped up at her.

"What...? Maybe there's something on the other floors." Katanlia vanished from the room, then entered the one Hart was being kept in. She looked around. The blue-haired was still asleep, thankfully. That left Katanlia to roam around without the possibility of getting caught.

A certain wall caught her attention before she even saw it. Katanlia looked up, then went wide-eyed in terror. Yuma was there, tied to it with chains made from Barian Crystals. He was unconscious, that much was obvious, but Katanlia could sense that other stuff had happened. She glared in thought for a moment, then gasped when she finally figure out what had happened exactly.

"So they have Astral and Yuma's Number Cards now too...great. Just great." Katanlia sighed and flew up to Yuma. She placed one hand on his arm, then started scraping the chain on it. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Yuma began to wake up. With a startled yelp, he began struggling against the chains like a wild cat. Katanlia put a clawed finger to his lips.

"Shut it Yuma. I'm trying to help you."

Yuma raised an eyebrow as one of the crystalized chains snapped off him. Katanlia shot him a look to not speak a word, then slashed the other chain off. She grabbed him by the wrist and jumped down to the ground, then watched him shake himself off.

"Who are you?" Yuma finally managed to ask after a long period of silence. He looked Katanlia in the eyes, as if that would help. Well it would probably, but not nearly as much.

"My name is Katanlia, Yuma Tsukumo. But you may know me better as Kat." Katanlia stared into Yuma's crimson eyes. He blinked, then just let his mouth hang open.

"Kat?! W-What the hey? You're a Barian?!" Yuma grabbed Katanlia by her shoulders and shook her. She glared at him and pushed him off, then nodded. "Should be kinda obvious, considering the fact you're staring at me right now."

"I can't believe it..."

"You better learn to."

Yuma shook his head. "I won't believe it. I refuse."

"Listen ya little pipsqueak." Katanlia grabbed Yuma by the shirt collar and hoisted him into the air, over her head. "I am a Barian. Deal with it. Thing is, I'm not like the others. Especially not like my older brother, Girag. I'm trying to help you, Hart and Astral. But if you don't want my help, then by all means don't hesitate to say so. I'll gladly allow you three to keel over instead."

Yuma was stunned. Oh yeah, Kat was definitely a Barian. No human, with the exceptions of Kite and Shark, could have that much of a temper. The pink and black-haired boy shook his head in defiance.

"No, Kat we need all the help we can get. Please help. Please!"

Katanlia sighed. She shut her eyes, then set Yuma down and shook herself. With a nod, she gave a thumbs up. "Fine. I'll help you. I've already started to try and free Hart. You are free. But Astral is another problem. Not sure where he is."

"Great." Yuma sighed. He looked around. Finally, his gaze became fixed on the crystal Hart was in. Katanlia walked over, then began to scratch at it again. She shielded her eyes as the chips went flying again. They flew everywhere, smacking anything in sight. Katanlia gasped when a small hole became visible in the crystal.

_Perfect_, Katanlia thought. At least they were getting somewhere.

"HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Katanlia jumped up and screeched. Yuma whipped around with her, and both stared in complete shock.

Girag had busted them.


	4. Chapter 4: Insanity Has Gone Insane

Katanlia froze. She stared right at Girag, who had a scowl on his face. The blue and brown-haired girl watched as he older brother walked over, then smacked her down.

"Kat!" Yuma yelled, running to her side. Girag grabbed him by the shirt collar and threw him against the wall, knocking him out in the process. Katanlia stared from where she lay as Alit came rushing in, then glanced at where Hart was being held captive. Durbe, Mizael and Vector were surrounding the crystal.

"Okay, when I tell you to, you start draining Hart's powers." Durbe looked right at Vector as he said this, simply gaining the rolling eyes treatment from him. When their leader nodded, they threw their claws into the crystal, beginning to drain Hart of his powers. At first, nothing seemed to be happening. Soon, however, Hart groaned. He screeched in pain as the critical part of the drainage flew by, then fainted when it was finished. Katanlia was shocked.

_That so didn't just happen_, she thought. Katanlia sat up from her spot on the ground. She turned back to see Girag, snickering under his breath. The blue and brown-haired glared and stood up. Alit watched as she stormed over to her older brother, then grabbed him by the shoulders and dug her claws into them.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"That was for trying to sneak past me and free Hart."

"Duh! He doesn't deserve to be cooped up in there. Barian has his powers. Now why not just let him go?"

"Because we like torture, unlike you."

"Why you...!" Katanlia screeched and began to scratch Girag in the face. Alit gasped as they began to roll around and wrestle. It wasn't until Girag had her pinned and was trying to rip off her wings did he react and pry them apart, however.

"What the heck Girag?" Alit asked, turning to him as he held Katanlia close. "You coulda killed her!"

"That was the point, you idiot."

"He is not the idiot in this room." Katanlia glared at Girag as she said this. He attempted to knock them down, but was stopped when he saw Durbe giving them all a threatening glare. Katanlia bolted out of Alit's grip, then grabbed Girag and hoisted him into the air, despite the death glare Durbe was pinning on her, and tossed him into the nearest wall before helping Yuma to stand. She laughed at her older brother when he tried to get back up. Fail, major fail.

Alit gave Katanlia a strange look. She shrugged it off, as did he, and together they started to walk away. Yuma bolted after them, hoping they were going to go look for Astral and attempt to free Hart on a later basis.

XxXxXxXx

"She's a Barian?!"

"Oh my god no way!"

"MEOOOOW, NOT COOL!"

All of Yuma's friends were ranting in shock over the fact Kat had turned out to be a Barian when Kite told them. Cathy especially was having a major meltdown. Never would she have thought her best friend turned out not to be human. It was too much for her to handle.

"No no no! She can't be a Barian! She just can't be!" Cathy shrieked it defiantly. What she got as an answer wasn't what she was planning on getting.

"She is. I saw her Barian Form with my own eyes," Kite replied dryly. He watched as Cathy fell Anime style, then bounced back up in rage.

"I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT!"

Everyone watched as the tears began to stroll down Cathy's cheeks. They knew she'd never get over this.

Or at least, not for a while.

"Please...please at least tell me that she's nice. She's trying to be herself?"

"Afraid not. She seemed very serious when she said she and I would face off to see who gets Hart for what. Thing is, I don't really care. She a Barian. Kat deserves nothing less than a fight."

"What do you mean?" Shark asked, staring at Kite for an answer. The blond and teal-haired looked away slowly.

"I mean she's a Barian. I hate Barians. So if she wants a fight, I won't hesitate to give her one."

"Does this mean you hate Kat now, too?" Tori asked, her voice shaking a bit. Kite turned back to her with a dead-serious look on his face.

"You could say that," was all he said before walking away. He knew Kat would soon be coming back to Earth. And when she did, they'd have a fight like never before.

XxXxXxXx

Vector watched as his second captive, Astral, groaned. He looked up a little bit, and stared right into the violet eyes that were only a little bit below him. Vector laughed and held up a clawed hand. "I see you're finally awake," he growled.

"What do you plan on doing with me?" Astral asked. Vector let out another laugh and crossed his arms.

"Silly Astral. You should know we have plans for you."

"What sort of plans?"

"We Barians have plans to take your Astral Powers, turn them to Barian Powers and put them to use." Vector just let out another laugh, then walked away. Astral blinked weakly and stared as the crazy Barian walked away. He could've sworn he saw a twinkle of amusement in his eyes before he left, which wouldn't have been considered strange to Astral.

If he didn't already know Kat would be the one to do this job.


	5. Chapter 5: Sharp Objects and Promises

Sleep didn't come to Cathy at all during the night. The whole time, she kept thinking about how Kat had turned out to be a Barian Soldier in disguise, and nothing but that. She meowed and rolled over, then just allowed her eyes to stay open and shed tears.

"It just isn't fair," Cathy moaned in her usually quiet tone. "Why did she have to be a Barian? Of all things! Couldn't she have been a cat instead?" Her ranting continued throughout the next few hours. Finally, Cathy wiped her eyes and sat up. She knew what she had to do.

Go to Barian World and bring Kat back.

"But how will I get there?" Cathy wondered aloud. She stared at everything in her room. There was only one thing that could really help her, ad that was her Duel Deck. Other than that, she had nothing to work with. Cursing lightly under her breath, Cathy stood and climbed out her window, grabbing her Deck on the way out. She landed on the ground cleanly, then looked around to make sure no one was there. Confident there was nothing but shadows, Cathy raced off into the night, climbing over rocks and ducking under low tree limbs that were littered in the forest nearest her house. She leaped over the stream, swinging on a vine draped over a tree to do so.

Rustling sounds could be heard as Cathy continued to run from there. She had heard them once before that, too, but thought nothing of it. Now, as she listened, these didn't sound like animal steps. They sounded more like human steps that were thudding towards her. Alarmed, Cathy fled. It hardly did any good, however. The rapid footsteps followed right behind her.

_What is that? _Cathy thought. She glanced back, seeing nothing but darkness, and nearly shrieking as her panic level rose. Turning back to the front and running even faster, Cathy tried not to stumble over stuff she could not see as she fled her unknown chaser.

"AH!"

The cry made Cathy freeze. She turned around slowly, and couldn't believe it when she saw who laid there now.

Kat.

"Oh my gosh! Kat!" Cathy shrieked and raced to the girl's side, pushing the fact she wasn't human aside. Kat opened her eyes slowly, stared at Cathy and put her hand on her shoulder. It was drenched in blood.

"Kat what happened? Speak to me!" Cathy shook Kat gently but quickly, trying to wake her up. Kat looked her friend in the eyes.

"I was coming here to...to get something. And then he...he...he started chasing me."

"Who started chasing you?"

"It was.."

If Kat had been able to finish her sentence, Cathy wouldn't have been able to shriek as loudly. She would've seen it coming.

"KAT!"

Cathy and Kat shrieked and jumped up. Rustling in the bushes occurred for a moment, and seconds afterwards, Kite was standing there. The knife Kat usually had on her belt was being twirled in his hand, and, like her arm, was drenched in blood. Cathy stared in shock.

"You have some nerve returning here Kat," Kite growled lowly. Kat sneered and bounced up, changing to her Barian Form and glaring. She glanced back to see Cathy's terrified expression, then felt herself ease up a bit. Turning back to Kite, she simply stared at him. "And you have some nerve attacking me. Have you forgotten I'm a Barian?"

"Not at all. I haven't forgotten you have my little brother in custody as well."

Kat, now Katanlia, paled. She felt the tears welling in her eyes as she stared at Kite. "Can't you understand? I'm trying to help you free him! Here I am on Barian, working my ass off to free Hart, taking the beatings from my brother, while you just sit here doing NOTHING!" Katanlia shrieked it, rushing up and grabbing Kite by the shirt collar and allowing the tears to spill. Kite was stunned. He shoved her off, then stared at her cat-green eyes.

"You mean this whole time, you've actually been trying to help?"

"Yes! I just said that stuff to sound threatening!" Katanlia wiped her eyes and stood. She opened a portal that obviously led back to Barian World, then sniffled. Before she could go, however, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Katanlia turned around with a startled fashion and stared right into Kite's sky-blue eyes.

"Let me come with you."

"What? Why?"

"So I can find my brother by myself. Then I'll eliminate you."

Katanlia felt her whole body tense. So it was true. The feeling that Kite no longer liked her was confirmed. She sighed, then motioned with her hand. Both stepped inside, glancing back at Cathy as she fled back into the woods. The portal closed behind them. Katanlia began to walk away. When she'd left to find her knife, the last thing she had been expecting was to find Kite, ready to attack her with it.

Well, she didn't care. Now that she had her memories back, Katanlia remembered the promise the two had made to one another when they started dating. They'd always be there for each other, no matter what happened. Even though it seemed Kite was no longer willing to keep up his end of the bargain, Katanlia was going to do anything and everything she could to protect him at all costs. This included Hart t and everyone else, too.

_I gave you my word_, Katanlia thought, continuing to walk around. And I refuse to stop being on my toes protecting you unless I die from doing it.


	6. Chapter 6: Victory, Then Defeat

Katanlia continued to walk around. Every so often, she'd glance back at Kite to make sure nothing had happened to him. As she led him around to where Hart was being held captive, she gasped.

Hart, and the crystal he was in, were gone.

"What the hell?" Katanlia raced up to where the crystal had been. She didn't see anything. Upon realizing defeat, she simply allowed her wings to droop in sadness. Katanlia looked back to see Kite, with the most angered expression she'd ever seen on his face.

"Where's Hart at? You said he'd be here!"

"I thought he was! They must've taken him while I was gone!"

"This is all your fault."

Now Katanlia had tears in her eyes again. She turned all the way around to stare at Kite, then shook her head. "No, it's not. How can you think that? I never laid a claw on him!" Katanlia shrieked it. Kite glared at her, obviously not convinced. The blue and brown-haired walked up and jumped on him in a hug and, despite the fact he tried to push her away, started to cry on his shoulder. Katanlia held onto his jacket for dear life as she backed off slowly. She looked up at Kite, who now had a calmer look on his face.

"Why are you getting so emotional? Geez Kat. Save that for after we find Hart." Kite shoved Katanlia off him, then walked away. Though she was slow to follow, Katanlia felt she was gaining her trust to Kite back. He had said "we", not "I" that time.

That meant he wanted her help, whether he'd admit it or not. Katanlia blinked innocently and flew after him, then took the lead to guide him. But when she saw what was now in front of her, she shrieked, then dropped to the ground and skidded to a stop. Her eyes widened, and she couldn't take her gaze off it.

One of the larger Barian Crystals was now attached to what appeared to be an enormous cannon. Durbe stood on top of it with Vector and Mizael, while Girag hopped down and held Hart up. Katanlia gulped as he threw the blue-haired her way, then leaped in and barely caught him. She glanced back to see Vector right behind Kite, placing his claw to his neck. To their left, Katanlia could see Yuma and Alit had finally joined the party. Yuma however, was hoisted into the air by Mizael, who had appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him by the back of the shirt collar. Katanlia growled, then turned back to face Durbe.

"Let them go. Before I make you," Katanlia demanded. She held Hart a little closer as he began to tremble, then set him on the ground and took a few steps closer to the machine in front of her.

"Ha! You and what army Katanlia? You spent so much time on Earth that you've become weak here. I doubt you could do anything."

"I'll show you!"

A flash emitted from Katanlia's hand. Before anyone could react, the familiar roar of Katanlia's strongest monster ripped through the area. Durbe gasped, then watched as Heartearth Dragon appeared. The large beast curled around the machine, then looked at Durbe with a death glare. Katanlia chuckled upon seeing the freaked out face on her leader. "You wanna try telling me that I can't do anything again?"

None of the Barians were really sure how to react.

"That's what I thought." Katanlia climbed onto Heartearth and patted the dragon on its head. She looked Durbe right in the eye as they stared at one another. The silence that spread through the area made everything seem more dangerous than it really was to Katanlia. She went wide-eyed when Durbe let out a laugh, however. She scowled.

"What's so funny?" Katanlia demanded.

"The fact that you think you can really defeat us! Have you forgotten we have Astral's powers, now transformed to Barian Powers?" Durbe would be smirking if he weren't in his Barian Form. This, Katanlia knew for a fact, as she watched the crystal light up. It glowed a bright, vibrant red as it took aim on its first target: Kite.

Katanlia gasped. She watched as Vector jumped out of the way seconds before the cannon began to fire. Hart let out a screech of fear, then cried out as Katanlia threw herself in front of Kite.

"NO!" Alit nearly screamed it. Before he could react, it was too late.

The cannon had fired, and the beam had struck Katanlia directly.

Katanlia cried out in pain as she was knocked into Kite, sending them both flying to the ground. The slash that had been sketched on her arm by Kite during the evening had been cut open when they hit the ground, and was now coloring her arm a dark red. Katanlia struggled to sit up, and was whimpering while doing so. She fell back to the ground, obviously in a whole lot of pain.

"Kat!" Kite helped her to sit up, elevating her against himself. It took a second, but when it registered in her panicked mind, Katanlia began to sob into Kite's chest. The laughter of the other Barians (Not including Alit) told Katanlia everything she needed to know. She stood up very weakly and wobbly, then fell to her knees.

The last thing she heard before she fainted was the startled cries that emitted from Alit, Kite, Hart and Yuma.


	7. Chapter 7: Choices, Choices

"Katanlia!" Alit nearly screamed it as he raced over, shaking Katanlia somewhat vigorously. She didn't wake up, however, no matter what he did. "Katanlia! Katanlia, please wake up!"

"It won't do you any good, Alit."

Alit jerked up in surprise. He stared up at Durbe with a confused look, then growled at him menacingly. It was hard to believe just how much of a jerk their leader had become in that small amount of time Katanlia had been gone. He really must've wanted his best Barian Soldier back.

"It'll work, damn it. It has to." Alit lifted Katanlia up and elevated her against himself. Thankfully, she was still breathing. It was a heavy, shortened breathing, but it was there. That was all that mattered. Kite slowly approached, and for once, Alit didn't flinch or move over. Rather, he stared up at Kite with sad green eyes. "Do you...think you can help?" he asked.

"Yes. I believe I can." Kite gently lifted Katanlia out of Alit's grasp. He watched intently as the blond and teal-haired kneeled down, then began to stroke Katanlia's neon-blue bangs. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, but she still refused to wake up.

So she'd been having a panic attack in her sleep, Alit thought. Relief washed over him upon realizing Katanlia was only unconscious now. Kite smiled and brushed a small bit of hair out of her face, then did something that shocked everyone in the room.

He kissed her. Only on the forehead, but it was still a kiss.

"Oh holy shit," Durbe muttered out, staring intently with wide gray eyes. He couldn't believe it. Almost as if by a silent command, Katanlia's eyes opened slowly. She blinked, then looked up as Kite pulled away from her. He smiled, happy she was finally awake, and lifted her up as he stood. Kite's sky-blue eyes peered up at Durbe angrily, piercing into his smokey-gray eyes and striking obvious fear into his heart. Vector, Mizael and Girag had ran off long before. Odd, they would've thought at least Mizael would've stuck around.

Whatever, Kite thought. That's just one less fool to deal with than I need. "Now, you hurt Kat. You're going to pay."

"I don't think so. Did you forget about the weapon I have? Boy, you guys really are pathetic." Durbe laughed and watched as Katanlia jolted out of Kite's grip, then jumped right in front of him.

"You wanna hurt these guys? Then I guess you'll just have to go through me first!"

"You aren't much of a challenge. I already got through you once. Doing it one more time should be no problem!"

"We'll see about that. Heartearth Dragon! Come here!"

A roar typhooned throughout the area. Heartearth dropped down next to Katanlia. Durbe paled. He'd forgotten all about the beast this girl had. The dragon was at least ten times their height and weight. It was enormous, and certainly more capable of knocking the machine down. Heck, it could probably smash it with one tail thump!

That was it. They were cornered so badly that there was no way the plan would work. Katanlia held her arm, but laughed despite the pain. She'd always found it funny when her enemies were defeated. Even Heartearth Dragon was letting out a suppressed laugh in the form of a grunt.

"So we can't use our weapon. Big deal. We still have our powers!"

Katanlia let out a shriek of pain as one of Durbe's Barian Energy Shots smacked her into the air. Alit raced up and caught her, then gulped as Heartearth Dragon disappeared from another shot impact.

"Kat! Help me!"

Katanlia jolted up to see Hart, the target of Durbe's next attack. She shrieked defiantly and raced over, grabbed Hart, and fled seconds before anything could hit the two of them. Durbe growled and tried again. Miss. Now he was becoming annoyed.

"You think you're so slick, don't you? Well I'll show you slick."

"I think not."

Durbe yelped and turned around, staring into Katanlia's cat-green eyes. She blinked, then grabbed him by the back o his neck. Durbe couldn't believe it. How had Katanlia managed to do that without being seen?

That didn't matter now. Katanlia had rendered him unconscious. She jumped down to the ground and lay Durbe there, then drop-kicked the weapon to bits to be absolutely sure it could never be used again.

"Kat!"

Katanlia whipped around, then cried out happily when Hart jumped on her in a hug. She dropped down to one knee, then held him in an embrace. Yuma smiled and started to laugh with Alit, then watched as Astral appeared out of nowhere. He'd ask later. Right now he wanted to see what Katanlia and Hart were up to.

"Hmph. C'mon Hart. We're going home." Kite was already walking away, expecting his little brother to follow. He didn't, though. Rather, Hart just glanced over his shoulder, then shook his head when Kite looked back at him.

"I'm not leaving without Kat."

"Why not?"

"Because she's the only one who ever acts childish around me anymore. I don't want that to change back."

Kite and Hart were staring right at one another. Katanlia stayed bent, with her wings lowered, as she waited for Kite's answer.

It was up to him whether she could go home or be forced to stay here now.


	8. Chapter 8: Home Sweet Home At Last

The whole room was filled with extremely awkward silence. Katanlia stared up at Kite from where she sat, still holding onto Hart's shoulders.

"I'm not taking a filthy Barian with me back to Earth," Kite said, glaring at Katanlia. Hart gasped and threw his arms around her, still staring at his older brother with a concerned face. "Don't you dare call Kat a filthy Barian! She's very clean. Besides, she's my best friend. I'm not going back home without her Kite."

"But Hart..."

"No buts. You either say Kat can come, or you leave me here with her."

Katanlia was shocked. She blinked, then looked Hart in the eyes and stared at him.

"Hart...do you mean that? You really don't want me to go?"

"Of course not Kat." Hart leaped on Katanlia in an affectionate hug. He snuggled up against her, then shut his eyes and didn't dare to let go of her. Everyone was beyond shocked. They couldn't understand how Hart would be the caring one in a situation like this one. It was strange.

But, it was adorable too. Hart's grip tightened around Katanlia. The blue and brown-haired girl changed to her human form and smiled. Katanlia, now Kat again, looked up at Kite with innocent cat-green eyes. She lifted Hart up and held him, then walked over to Kite and looked up at him.

"It's alright if you don't want me back, Kite," Kat said. She set Hart down, then kissed him on the forehead before standing back up. Kite watched as Kat turned, then began to walk away. In a quiet tone, Hart let out a whimper. Yuma, Alit and Astral stared as she continued to go, not looking back even once.

But she did freeze when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Kat, wait."

Now Kat did turn around. She stared, then yelped when Kite grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up. The girl blinked with confusion, then smiled. "Does this mean you do want me to come back, hmmm?" she asked. Kite smiled, then nodded.

"Yes, I do. If Hart doesn't want you gone, then I suppose I don't either."

"Do you...mean that? Like, really mean that?"

"Of course I do!"

"Well that's sorta hard to believe. I mean honestly, you stabbed me with a knife."

Kite felt himself blushing. He looked away shamefully, obviously regretful of what he did. Kat smiled, then forced him to look back at her. She didn't hesitate to stand a little higher and kiss him in the lips, either.

"Oh my god," Alit said, staring at the scene before him. Yuma's jaw dropped, as did Hart's, as they stared intently. Astral was stunned as well. He thought Kat would never forgive Kite for what he did to her.

Kat slowly pulled away. She stared at Kite with sympathetic cat-green eyes, then smiled and pounced on him in a hug. The blond and teal-haired was wide-eyed in shock. He wasn't sure how to react. Hart, on the other hand, walked up and yanked on Kat's shirt sleeve as he smiled. She turned around, then gasped. The Pikachu backpack she loved so dearly was clutched gently in his small, pale hands. Kat smiled and took it from him for a second, then handed it back. At first, Hart was confused. So was everyone else. When Kat began to laugh, though, it clicked in some of their minds.

"I want you to have that Hart. That way, if something ever does happen to me, you'll have something to remember me by." Kat smiled again upon seeing Hart's face light up with happiness. He looked down, then grinned and slid it on his shoulders. Kat giggled and adjusted the straps a bit, then nodded when she was satisfied with her work. "There we go. Should fit fine now."

"Thank you Kat! Thank you!" Hart squealed, jumping on Kat in another hug. She yelped in joy and lifted the blue-haired, then turned and smiled when Kite walked up to her side. No words needed to be said to know he was ready to go back to Earth. Kat nodded, then opened a portal. Of course, Yuma and Astral were the first to run through. Hart managed to scramble free and trailed after them with Kite. A small giggle came from Kat as she turned to Alit.

"So, what do you plan on doing now?"

"I dunno Katanlia. Can't stay here, I'd get killed! But I can't exactly stay on Earth either..."

"Oh bull. You can so come to Earth and stay there." Kat grabbed Alit by the wrist and smiled, then dragged him through the portal. On the other side, she crashed onto the couch in a lazy fashion, right next to Kite and Hart. Everyone stared at each other for a second before watching Yuma rush off. Typical of him. Kat smiled. Though she had to go back to school being know as a Barian now, she didn't mind.

As long as her friends were still on her side, she didn't care.

XxXxXxXx

"Oh my gosh..."

"Kat came back?"

"Whoa what happened to her arm?!"

"She's got some nerve walking around here."

Kat heard all sorts of things as she walked the halls of her school. She hadn't seen anyone that she could trust yet. Beginning to think they weren't going to show up, Kat picked up the pace and raced around the corner.

But when she smacked into him, she was more happy than she'd ever been.

"Yuma! Oh god I'm sorry." Kat stood and helped Yuma to do the same. They brushed themselves off, then ran away to get to their next class on time.

"So, has anyone given you strange looks yet?" Yuma asked. Kat shot him a glare, causing him to jump back a bit and leave the subject alone. Obviously, people had given her strange looks. The whole entire school knew she was a Barian! Why wouldn't they give her those looks?

_BANG!_ Kat and Yuma went flying into one another as the hit the wall of their classroom. Tori and Cathy started to giggle. Typical of those two to get tangled together when rushing in. What wasn't typical, however, was the fact they were actually on time today.

"There really is a first time for everything, isn't there?" Cathy asked, staring right at Yuma. He stuck his tongue out, causing the entire class to burst out laughing. Kat rolled her eyes and stood up, then took her seat and looked around. All eyes were on her. The blue and brown-haired felt herself blushing in total embarrassment as she lay her head on the desk.

"Well well well. Looks like Barian Girl decided to show up, did she?"

Kat jolted up in shock. She couldn't believe it. Flip. Great, so now one of her closest friends was picking on her. That was all she needed. Slowly, Kat folded her arms on her desk and lay her head on them. "Shut up, Flip," she said in a muffled tone.

"What's that? Couldn't hear you. Maybe it's because you have no mouth to talk with!"

Now the whole class erupted in laughter. Kat felt the tears welling in her eyes. Yuma and the others were too stunned to do anything. They wanted to help, Carhy especially, but they were frozen in their spots by shock.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

Everyone's head turned. Kat glanced up, then went wide-eyed. There, in the doorway, stood Alit. He ran down the stairs, tripping over one of the chairs but still coming to Kat's side, and put a hand on her shoulder. Alit turned and looked around at everyone. "What is the matter with you guys? So what if Kat's a Barian? Big whoop! Get over it! She's not going to hurt you. Neither am I. Well, mostly anyway." He glared at Flip, who just stuck his tongue out. Alit walked over and grabbed the shot brunette by the front of his shirt collar, then hoisted him into the air for a moment before tossing him onto the nearest desk.

"You'll probably get detention for that," Kat said, turning to face Alit all the way now. He turned and shrugged. Not like he cared. As long as Kat was okay, he didn't care what kind of trouble he got himself into.

"Whatever. You're happy now. So am I."

Kat felt herself smiling. She turned to see Yuma walk over, followed by Tori, Cathy, Bronk, Shark and Caswell. They smiled right back at her. Kat softened her gaze, then pulled out her sketchbook and tore one of the pictures out. She placed it in the front of her binder for decoration, then looked up at the others. The picture of them all shed been working on since summer brake of the previous year was finally complete. She'd even added Alit there just for the heck of it, along with Kite and Hart. (They hadn't followed them all to the beach)

"There we go. A symbol of our friendship," Kat said, staring at everyone. They nodded and crowded around her desk when the bell rang, then watched as Kat smiled.

Finally, she knew of a place she didn't have to be evil, and yet she could still call home.

**END**


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